Socio-Economic, Demographic and Lifestyle Determinants Overweight and Obesity among Adults of Northeast India of

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are the accumulation of high body adiposity, which can havedetrimental health effects and contribute to the development of numerous preventable non-communicable diseases. This study aims to evaluate the effect of socio-economic, demographic andlifestyle factors on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults belonging to the Rengma-Naga population of North-east India.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 826 Rengma-Naga individuals (males:422; females: 404) aged 20-49 years from the Karbi Anglong District of Assam, using a two-stagestratified random sampling. The socio-economic, demographic and lifestyle variables were recordedusing structured schedules. Height and weight were recorded and the Body Mass Index (BMI) wascalculated using standard procedures and equation. The WHO (2000) cut-off points were utilized toassess the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥23.00-24.99 kg/m 2 ) and obesity (BMI ≥25.00 kg/m 2 ). The datawere analysed using ANOVA, chi-square analysis and binary logistic regression analysis using SPSS(version 17.0).RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 32.57% (males: 39.34%; females: 25.50%)and 10.77% (males: 9.95%; females: 11.63%), respectively. The binary logistic regression analysisshowed that age groups (e.g., 40-49 years), education (≥9 th standard), part-time occupation and monthlyincome (≥Rs.10000) were significantly associated with overweight and obesity (p<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: Age, education occupation and income appear to have higher associations withoverweight and obesity among adults. Suitable healthcare strategies and intervention programmes areneeded for combating such prevalence in population.